Lock for form-ties

ABSTRACT

A lock primarily useful in producing gang forms, employs a slotted-cam in a pivoted lock plate to engage the head of a formtie. The lock plate carries an integral rugged, bent over extension or strike arm which serves to cover the head of a formtie and to receive heavy blows during either the closing or opening of the lock.

3,822,859 1451 July 9, 1974 tlnited States 1191 Buyken et al. I

[ LOCK FOR FORM-TIES 3,175,797 3/1965 Wells 249/219 w x [76] Inventors: Frank E; Buyken, 8620 Island Dr., 2

Seattle, Wash. 98118; Robert C. Foster, 225 N. Arlington Heights I Rd., Elk Grove Village, [IL 60007 Primary Examiner-R. Spencer Annear June 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 266,225

[22 Filed:

ABSTRACT 249/219 W, 249/167 [5]] Int. [58] Field of heavy blows during either the closing or opening of 'the lock.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures LOCK FOR'FORM-TIES'T mined pattern are made through the plywood and walers to receive form-ties which spread apart andtie together an opposedpair of such forms. For repeated use of such panels it is common practice'to' mount at the outer end of each ofsaid holes a form-tie lock mechanismwhich e'nga ges thelend of a form-tie. Such mecha-' nism usually includes a pivoted lock plate having an arcuate. cam slot which-engages the shank anddisposes itself underthe head of the.. form-tie. Means is also included to cover the head of the form-tie to preventits movement outward and the collapse together of the opposed form panels. Suchrneans have usually comprised an added. on metal bridge-like'member straddling the 7 arm 44; are formed tobe very mggeqand strong it being preferable to use highv quality steel about .1 inch with hole ,14 what the? l d. is attached was 05 Lock plate 32 has a curved, open-ended cam'm'ing slot.40 which is concentric of the axisof pivotfpin '34. The-edges ofslot 40 rise from plate 22an'd function as cam means increasing in'height as they move under" head 26 of the form-tie 16..Thisis probably best seen inFlG.-5. v a I Plate 32at the end opposite the pivot 34' has-an inte gral extension 44 which curves at 46 out from the plane of-plate'32 and folds thereover to be disposed in cantilever fashion in spaced relation over the fgullet or inner end of slot 40.?ln the preferred formsfshown inc'the drawings, extension or'strike arm 44 is shaped to lie diagonally over plate 32 and to terminate in a'substam tially'acutely angled horn 48." V v v r Plate .and lock plate 32;and its extension or strike thick. This. is to resist the beating such devicessuffer during the .erection and disassembly of concrete forms.

head'of the 'form tie. Such members','standing out as they do. are often struck heavy blowsboth' duringassembly and disassemblyiby'the'workmen'. As a result they rapidly become deformed or irreparably damaged and must be replaced. Further they'provide tunnel like openings in' which concrete can'become lodged to harden and' clog the mechanism -and, -thus,- interfere with disassembly. It has therefore been a primary object of'this invention to provide for form ties a lock mechanism which is rugged, not easily clogged, easy to install; and use'and reuse .in assembly and disassembly. of gang forms, and which-by reason of its design practically compels theworkmen to strike the lock plate at the most efi'ective and least damaging points.

1 QESCRIPTIONOPTHE DRAWINGS Ordinarily-'- during assembly the carpenters :o'rother workmenmust drive the locking slotintothetight or gripping position by striking' blows' with their hammers.

The bend50 is provided for just this pur se. ltis strong and openly exposed to be easily accesible. Con:

. versely during. disassembly,jthe=. horn 48 -is'.ideally =10? cated and related toplate 32so.thatIahammerzblowqis easily and. accuratelyapplied atthe point where it will do the most good to force plate 32 to pivot and draw the cam slot-40 out from under tie head. 26. Note .that blows of a hammer onstrike arm 44 to close the, lock applied to, bend 50, or to openit as on horn 48, are-both normal to or across the width-of extension 44', in other words across its greatest strength largely producedby its thickness and the strong bendSD.

Extension 44 overhangs the gullet of slot a form-tie head 26 is disposed thereunder the form-tie FIG. 1-is aper spec'tive view of a lock plate for formtiesaccjording to'this invention; I

FIGS. 2 3 and 4 are views tseriallylillustratingthe locking-action of the lock-plate; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectionon'line 5-5'of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a cross-section on line 6--6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-section on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The lock of this invention is usually attached to waler it) that is secured to the face of a form panel 12, commonly a plywood sheet. Prior to the attachment of the lock plate the panel 12 and waler 10 are drilled to procannot further extend through the form or base plate. Ordinarily at the time a form is being assembled there is little or nooutward pressure tending to spread} the panels. "The overhang of'head'26 -by extension 44 We vents them from collapsing together.

. The cantilever arrangement of extension-44 serves a very useful purpose. Occasionally when :concreteis vide a hole 14 in which a form-tie 16 is disposed when two such panels are being assembled in preparation to ally comprises a shank 18, having snap or break point 20, forming cone 22, plug 24, and head 26 at each end. The normal function of a double-ended form-tie 16 is to tie together and at the same time space apart an op-' posed pair ofpanels 12, in this case in tice of gang forming, 7 I

Thelock of this invention comprises the base plate 30. supporting lock .plate 32, attached thereto-by .pivot common pracbeing placed in the forms some is spilled or some may escape from the forms via the form-tie holes. Ineithe'r event it may become lodged in slot 40, or adjacent head 26 under extension 44am there harden. The space under extension 44 being open and accessible from all 1 but one direction makes it easy for a disassembly workman to insert a prod or bar and knock the mass loose.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the object sof this invention havebeen accomplished in that anieasy to construct, simple to use lock for formcasting concrete to produce a wall. A form-tie l6 usu-.

ties has been provided; that the same is rugged and durable for use under severe conditions; and that a heretofore difficult problem has been. overcome. Naturally .modifications in size and 'shape'will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art. A such, as by a reasonably liberal application of the doctrine of equivalents, as-fall within the scope and spirit of the following claims is: intended to be covered by this patent. i

I What' is claimed is: q

. pin 34.'-Plate 30 has an aperture lilo-which is aligned Y l .In a lock forheadedform-ties wherein: Y

40; when a base plate is attached externally on a form panel and has an aperture to receive and pass outward the headed end of a form-tie; and

a lock plate is pivotally mounted on said base plate to swing about an axis offset from said aperture, and said lock plate has an open ended camming slot concentric of said axis and registered with said aperture, said slot being of a size to embrace the shank of and to be disposed under the head of a form-tie; the improvement, comprising:

said lock plate opposite its pivotal axis having an integral extension reversely curved out of the plane of said plate into cantilevered overlying relation to the closed end of said slot; said cantilevered integral extension providing impact-receiving surfaces oriented to transmit the force of locking and unlocking impacts to said lock plate remote from its pivotal axis and substantially tangential to the curvature of said slot in the proximity of its closed end. 2. The structure of claim 1' in which said extension terminates in a horn.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said extension is disposed diagonally over said lock plate and terminates in an acutely angled horn. 

1. In a lock for headed form-ties wherein: a base plate is attached externally on a form panel and has an aperture to receive and pass outward the headed end of a formtie; and a lock plate is pivotally mounted on said base plate to swing about an axis offset from said aperture, and said lock plate has an open ended camming slot concentric of said axis and registered with said aperture, said slot being of a size to embrace the shank of and to be disposed under the head of a form-tie; the improvement, comprising: said lock plate opposite its pivotal axis having an integral extension reversely curved out of the plane of said plate into cantilevered overlying relation to thE closed end of said slot; said cantilevered integral extension providing impactreceiving surfaces oriented to transmit the force of locking and unlocking impacts to said lock plate remote from its pivotal axis and substantially tangential to the curvature of said slot in the proximity of its closed end.
 2. The structure of claim 1 in which said extension terminates in a horn.
 3. The structure of claim 1 in which said extension is disposed diagonally over said lock plate and terminates in an acutely angled horn. 